Air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9683768-B2
Application number	US-201214386140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2012
Priority date	Mar 27, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus includes a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator, indoor heat exchanges each configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator, a plurality of expansion valves each provided for a corresponding one of the indoor heat exchangers each configured to adjust a flow rate of a refrigerant that flows through the corresponding indoor heat exchanger, and a controller configured to control an operation capacity of the compressor and opening degrees of a plurality of expansion devices. When increasing heat exchange performance of the indoor heat exchanger, the controller increases the operation capacity of the compressor and controls the opening degree of the expansion valve corresponding to the indoor heat exchanger to decrease the flow rate of the refrigerant that flows through the indoor heat exchanger.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
a compressor; a heat source side heat exchanger configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator; a plurality of use side heat exchangers each configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator; a plurality of expansion devices each provided for a corresponding one of the plurality of use side heat exchangers, and each configured to adjust a flow rate of a refrigerant that flows through the corresponding one of the plurality of use side heat exchangers; and a controller configured to control an operation capacity of the compressor and opening degrees of the plurality of expansion devices, wherein
when increasing heat exchange performance of a first use side heat exchanger that is at least one, but not all, of the plurality of use side heat exchangers, the controller
increases the operation capacity of the compressor, and
controls the opening degree of the expansion device corresponding to a second use side heat exchanger that is at least one of the plurality of use side heat exchangers that perform a function identical to a function of the first use side heat exchanger, to decrease a flow rate of the refrigerant that flows through the second use side heat exchanger, the second use side heat exchanger being different from the first use side heat exchanger,

the heat source side heat exchanger is configured to function as an evaporator and the plurality of use side heat exchangers are configured to function as condensers,
the controller is configured to control the operation capacity of the compressor such that condensing saturation temperatures of the refrigerant that flows through the plurality of use side heat exchangers become a predetermined condensing saturation temperature target value, and
when increasing the heat exchange performance of the first use side heat exchanger, the controller increases the operation capacity of the compressor by increasing a value of the condensing saturation temperature target value,
the controller is configured to control the opening degrees of the expansion devices corresponding to the plurality of use side heat exchangers that function as condensers such that degrees of subcooling of the refrigerant that flows through the plurality of use side heat exchangers that function as condensers become a predetermined target degree of subcooling, and
when increasing the heat exchange performance of the first use side heat exchanger, decreases the flow rate in the second use side heat exchanger by increasing the target degree of subcooling.

2. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
if the operation capacity of the compressor has not reached an upper limit after the operation capacity of the compressor has been increased,
the controller
controls the opening degree of the expansion device corresponding to the first use side heat exchanger to increase a flow rate of the refrigerant that flows through the first use side heat exchanger.

3. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
some of the plurality of use side heat exchangers are intermediate heat exchangers at each of which the refrigerant supplied from the heat source side heat exchanger and a heat medium different from the refrigerant exchange heat,
some of the rest of the plurality of use side heat exchangers are direct-expansion heat exchangers at each of which the refrigerant supplied from the heat source side heat exchanger and indoor air exchange heat,
the air-conditioning apparatus further comprises at least one indirect heat exchanger that is connected to a heat medium passage of the intermediate heat exchangers and at which the heat medium and indoor air exchange heat,
the first use side heat exchanger is the intermediate heat exchanger, and
the second use side heat exchanger in which the flow rate of the refrigerant is decreased when the heat exchange performance of the first use side heat exchanger is increased is the direct-expansion heat exchanger.

4. An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
a compressor; a heat source side heat exchanger configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator; a plurality of use side heat exchangers each configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator; a plurality of expansion devices each provided for a corresponding one of the plurality of use side heat exchangers, and each configured to adjust a flow rate of a refrigerant that flows through the corresponding one of the plurality of use side heat exchangers; and a controller configured to control an operation capacity of the compressor and opening degrees of the plurality of expansion devices, wherein
when increasing heat exchange performance of a first use side heat exchanger that is at least one, but not all, of the plurality of use side heat exchangers, the controller
increases the operation capacity of the compressor, and
controls the opening degree of the expansion device corresponding to a second use side heat exchanger that is at least one of the plurality of use side heat exchangers that perform a function identical to a function of the first use side heat exchanger, to decrease a flow rate of the refrigerant that flows through the second use side heat exchanger, the second use side heat exchanger being different from the first use side heat exchanger,

the heat source side heat exchanger is configured to function as a condenser and the plurality of use side heat exchangers are configured to function as evaporators,
the controller is configured to control the operation capacity of the compressor such that evaporating saturation temperatures of the refrigerant that flows through the plurality of use side heat exchangers become a predetermined evaporating saturation temperature target value, and
when increasing the heat exchange performance of the first use side heat exchanger, the controller increases the operation capacity of the compressor by decreasing a value of the evaporating saturation temperature target value,
the controller is configured to control the opening degrees of the plurality of expansion devices of the plurality of use side heat exchangers that function as evaporators such that degrees of superheat of the refrigerant that flows through the use side heat exchangers become a predetermined target degree of superheat, and
when increasing the heat exchange performance of the first use side heat exchanger, the controller decreases the flow rate in the second use side heat exchanger by increasing the target degree of superheat.

5. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 4 , wherein
some of the plurality of use side heat exchangers are intermediate heat exchangers at each of which the refrigerant supplied from the heat source side heat exchanger and a heat medium different from the refrigerant exchange heat,
some of the rest of the plurality of use side heat exchangers are direct-expansion heat exchangers at each of which the refrigerant supplied from the heat source side heat exchanger and indoor air exchange heat,
the air-conditioning apparatus further comprises at least one indirect heat exchanger that is connected to a heat medium passage of the intermediate heat exchangers and at which the heat medium and indoor air exchange heat,
the first use side heat exchanger is the intermediate heat exchanger, and
the second use side heat exchanger in which the flow rate of the refrigerant is decreased when the heat exchange performance of the first use side heat exchanger is increased is the direct-expansion heat exchanger.

6. An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
a compressor; a heat source side heat exchanger configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator; a plurality of use side heat exchangers each configured to function as a condenser or an evaporator

Assignees

• Takayama Keisuke
• Morimoto Osamu
• Shimamoto Daisuke
• Nomoto So
• Tanaka Kosuke
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Takayama Keisuke
• Morimoto Osamu
• Shimamoto Daisuke
• Nomoto So
• Tanaka Kosuke

Classifications

• F25B2313/0272

  using bridge circuits of one-way valves · CPC title

• F25B25/005

  using primary and secondary systems · CPC title

• F25B2313/0233

  in parallel arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2313/02732

  using two three-way valves · CPC title

• Y02B30/741

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic